Beautiful Propaganda.
I don't know if anybody sensed this idea of Japanese propaganda in the movie, but I sure did. I may be overstating it, but the element is definately there. The mysterious man represents the country itself, Japan, and the actress symbolizes the Japanese people. The whole story of searching for that person that the actress love so much is the actual search for the dignity and love for Japan. Do you remember a line in the movie where the actress says, "I will never betray him!". It is a subliminal message to the Japanese to never betray Japan. Also, in the first scenes of the actress's memories, there is a reference to Japan's invasion of Manchuria. The movie talks about how the Japanese soldiers are fighting for their "country" and how they want to serve their country. We all know that Japan's attack on Manchuria was horrible and hostile. Not many people know how strong the Japanese propaganda is. Not many people know that the Japanese school books lie about the wars in the 20th century. Those books justifices their attack on Asian countries and teaches young Japanese that "they" were the ones that were tricked. Yes, it still goes on these days. Many Asian countries criticize Japan for it, but Japan is too strong a country to oppose harshly. Anyway, you have to understand that kind of "strong nationalism" is sometimes corporated in the Japanese movies. Just be aware of it. You have to read between the lines.
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